


No Place I'd Rather Be

by silver_wolf1249



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: AU, Fluff, Hiding Friendship, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, early meeting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 10:58:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12703629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_wolf1249/pseuds/silver_wolf1249
Summary: Yuuri and Victor meet earlier than in canon, and friendship blossoms between the two. Watch how they become friends, to each other's crushes, to boyfriends. Basically some cute heartwarming stuff I came up with after hearing the song No Place I'd Rather Be, which is hilarious because the song is actually a bit depressing.





	No Place I'd Rather Be

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've had this in my archive for a while, and I don't know when I can pull out another chapter because I'm just not all that interested in actually writing right now, to which I apologize to you all. I hope you enjoy the chapter though.

Yuuri was terrified, and extremely so. His first junior worlds at only thirteen, and unlike many of the other competitors, he didn’t even have a formal coach unless you counted Minako-sensei, his ballet teacher. The Internet had been a very helpful tool to Yuuri over the years as well. Somehow, even with all the odds against him, he had managed to qualify for Junior Worlds by placing first in Japan’s Junior Championships, and was being written down in Japanese figure skating history for being the youngest male figure skater to win gold in Japan’s Junior Championships and to be the first to do so without a proper skating coach. He still thought the person in second place deserved the gold more than he did since their scores were so close, but he had been the one on top of the podium instead. 

 

Now in Kitchener, Canada in the Aud, for the first time in Yuuri’s life he would be competing with some of the best skaters below 18 from around the world. If he wasn’t terrified to be here, then the fact that he had drawn first did. Minako-sensei had come with him to Canada, but the rest of his family and friends were back home in Hasetsu. He was supposed to perform his short skate almost three hours from now, and Yuuri felt like he was going to throw up, a typhoon building up inside of him. His nerves so bad that he almost flubbed a step sequence during practice yesterday. A  _ step sequence  _ for god’s sakes, he didn’t even jump off the ice yet still managed to nearly ruin his skating. Hence, he was currently in a bathroom stall at the stadium freaking out. Minako-sensei had left a bit earlier to buy some food for the both of them, telling him to call her if anything happened. As if, Yuuri was perfectly fine about leaving his ballet teacher in the dark on how serious his anxiety was, he didn’t want her to fret around him. 

 

He was hyperventilating slightly when he heard a knock on the door of his stall. “Excuse me,” the person said in heavily accented English, concern and confusion easily detectable, “but are you alright?”

 

Yuuri would have laughed if he didn’t know he would probably sound like he was choking to death  if he tried to.“If by not even knowing what I look like right now and still asking that question then you probably already know the answer.” he managed to reply, gasping harshly between each word.

 

“Oh…..right.” the voice speaks out hesitantly, sounding completely out of his depth.

 

“You’re-not-very-good-at-this-kind-of-stuff-are-you?” Yuuri breathes out, his words followed by a shaky laugh as his minor panic attack seemed to slip away, his attention now focused  on the mysterious person on the other side of the stall door.

 

“Yeah...sorry.” the voice replied sheepishly, “I’m very bad with people crying or freaking out in front of me, seems I’m not any better when I can’t see their faces. But why are you so upset?” the voice asked bluntly.

 

Feeling much calmer than he was before, Yuuri debated with himself whether he should answer the question. On one hand, saying his problems might help him feel better….on the other the person on the other side was a complete stranger, who knows who they might be? In the end, Yuuri decides to respond. Either way, as long as he kept it relatively vague, than no matter who the person was it wouldn't matter too much. “Well, I’m here to participate for Worlds in the Junior’s division for the first time, and I feel that I’ll do badly and let down my family and friends back home as well as disappoint my country. It’s very stressful, and I’ve been making a lot of mistakes in my skating when I’ve been practicing so I’m really worried since I have to perform in a couple of hours.” he blurted out all at once.

 

The voice gasps, and Yuuri can almost  _ feel _ the frown the person must be making. “Wow...I’ve never really had a problem with nerves so I don’t really understand it, but did you know I’m also participating in World’s for the Juniors division? It’ll be my last one too since my coach said that I shouldn’t debut in the Senior Division until I turn eighteen after I get the hang of my growth spurt. However, I do want to tell you something about your incredibly low self-esteem.” the voice replied, slightly upset at Yuuri’s non existent self-esteem from what Yuuri could tell, “The fact that you are even here says that you are one of the best skaters in your country, which already shows how good your skills are. It’s alright to be nervous for your first Worlds, I guess it must be a pretty big thing for you, same for your family and friends. Regardless, of course they wouldn’t feel disappointed if you don’t medal, neither would the rest of your country. It’s your first time, almost no one medals on their first try. Plus, you probably still have, what, three years or so to make it up even if you don’t do well, don’t you? Don’t try to skate with everyone’s expectations on your shoulders. You love to skate, don’t you? Why else would you come this far? When you skate, instead of skating your best, skate in the way that makes you the happiest, then it  _ will  _ be your best.”

 

By the end of the person’s little speech, the voice had grown firmer, more determined. Yuuri wished he could be that confident. He thought about the voice’s words. ‘He’s right’, Yuuri thought, ‘I still have five more years before I would move up to Seniors. I’m one of the youngest competitors, so the judges probably won’t expect much from me. No one would be disappointed if I didn’t do as well, they’d still be proud if I even made it to the top ten. I love skating, have loved it ever since Yuuko made me watch Victor Nikiforov Junior World’s debut. If I don’t do so well this year then I’ll come back the next year even stronger than before.’

 

“Thank you,” Yuuri tells the person on the other side of the door, “for everything, really, that helped me a lot.” 

 

“No need to thank me,” the voice hurriedly responded, “I just wanted you to feel better and umm, stuff, yeah.” 

 

Yuuri thought the person’s awkwardness was kind of endearing, then he started to realize something, “Wait, if you can’t go into seniors until you’re eighteen and you’re in your last competition, you’re seventeen?”

 

“Yes?” the voice replied, voice lilting up at the end, “Why do you ask?”

 

Yuuri focuses on the person’s voice. It sounds eerily familiar, and very Russian; and then fireworks start to explode in his head. “You’re Victor Nikiforov aren’t you.” he states, not even a question, and Yuuri is horrified that he never noticed before, because he just admitted to his idol that he was scared of disappointing people, something  _ the  _ Victor Nikiforov had probably never experienced.

 

“Oh, yeah. How’d you know?” the voi-nope, Victor questioned curiously, and Yuuri couldn’t answer that question because admitting to the older boy that he was Yuuri’s idol would be  _ mortifying. _

 

“By the way,” Victor said casually, as if Yuuri’s brain wasn’t near exploding because  _ he did not understand _ , “just because I’m Victor Nikiforov, don’t think my words were careless or pretentious, I meant every single one of them.”

 

Now Yuuri kind of feels bad, because he senses an undertone of weariness and sadness in Victor’s voice. ‘Right,’ his brain supplies for him, ‘Victor is a normal person, not some untouchable god. Treat him like you did before you knew who he was.’

 

He hesitatingly reached out to unlock the bathroom door, the sound of the lock turning the only sound in the silent bathroom. He opened the door to see Victor’s face, and braced himself. “Hi, I’m Yuuri Katsuki.” he said, stumbling slightly when saying his name differently than he usually did, putting out his right hand to shake, “I’m currently thirteen years old and I’m representing Japan for Junior Worlds. This isn’t exactly how I wanted to meet you, but I’m really happy to have met you this way anyway. Do you want to be friends?”

 

He looked up at Victor, who was looking down at Yuuri in surprise before flashing his signature heart-shaped smile. “I would love to be your friend, Yuuri.” he exclaims happily, surprising Yuuri when instead of shaking his hand Victor gives Yuuri one of the tightest hugs he’s ever been given.

 

A day later, when Yuuri won fourth place and smiling until his face hurt. Victor’s email and phone number was on a slip of paper in his back pocket. They were meeting at a cafe that was tucked away so no one could find them. Yuuri had told Minako that he was meeting up with a friend and she let him go as long as he had his phone on him. He was hugging the life out of Victor with his gold medal still glowing brightly on his chest. “Just you wait,” he told Victor, beaming, “I swear I’ll medal next year and win gold the year after that. When I finally get to Seniors you better be ready for some competition!”

 

“Of course Yuuri.” Victor replied, just as ecstatic, “Don’t forget to keep in contact, ok?”

 

“Yeah!” Yuuri replied happily before the two had to go back to the hotel to prepare for the banquet, but in the end the younger boy couldn’t make it because of a mess up in the flight schedule caused his and Minako-sensei’s flight to be during the banquet instead of the day after. He quickly called Victor and apologized and while Victor sounded sad, but it seemed he understood as it had happened to him before one time. Yuuri swore up and down that he would contact Victor when he got back to Japan whether by calling him, sending him an email, etc. while saying goodbye (Yuuri was half-sure that he mentioned something about sending Victor physical mail if it came down to it but he was is such a rush to get to the airport on time he wasn’t quite sure.). “I look forward to it, Yuuri.” Victor had replied, and they hung up at the same time, Yuuri’s heart beating fast in his chest, though Yuuri insisted to himself that it was because he had just run across half the airport with Minako to get to the flight on time. He tucks away and ignores the fact that normally a run like that wouldn’t even make him that breathless since he has a ridiculous stamina that can put some long distance runners to shame.

**Author's Note:**

> Did you like the chapter? Please comment below. I love hearing feedback :).


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